Sociology Theses, Dissertations, & Student ResearchCopyright (c) 2018 University of Nebraska - Lincoln All rights reserved.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss
Recent documents in Sociology Theses, Dissertations, & Student Researchen-usThu, 01 Feb 2018 13:27:27 PST3600Protests in the Post-Cold War Era: World Systems Dynamics and Hardship Effects in Post-Colonial Countrieshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/48
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/48Mon, 24 Apr 2017 09:01:00 PDT
In this thesis, I explore the determinants of protests across 15 post-colonial countries from 1990 to 2010. Specifically, I investigate the direct and mediating impact of global economic dynamics and hardships experienced by populations in these countries. To that end, I employ world systems theory as well as relative deprivation and political opportunity theories. Analyses employ pooled-time series analysis based on national-level data from the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT), as well as data from the World Bank and the Polity IV project, which provide insight into the role of world systems dynamics on social unrest. Analyses demonstrate a strong direct, yet nonlinear, impact of world systems indicators on levels of protest. In contrast, the direct effect of hardships on protests suggests a more complex relationship. Male labor force participation rate appears to be the only measure to partially mediate between world systems indicators and protests. Importantly, I find evidence that the effects of hardship indicators on protest are strongly non-linear. For example, while female labor force participation was not significant in the full linear model, non-linear results indicate a U-shape relationship with protests. While complex, results indicate global economic indicators and hardships are predictive of protests, even after controlling for political opportunities. These findings do not undermine political opportunity explanations, however they do indicate research has underestimated the importance of quality of life measures as a driver for protests.

Advisor: Dr. Regina Werum

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Shawn M. RatcliffNot Infertile, Can’t Have Children: Non-Reproductive Health Barriers to a Wanted Childhttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/47
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/47Wed, 19 Apr 2017 06:40:55 PDT
Non-reproductive health barriers to a wanted baby are an understudied population in the field of infertility research. This is a concern for fertility, public health, and family scholars as the lack of information can have affects the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of couples with non-reproductive health barriers. Using the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB) and Survey Driven Narrative Construction, I was able to identify thirty-two women and their partners who have confronted a non-reproductive health barrier. These women did not self-identify and were grouped as such by the author. I found that the majority of the couples do not identify as infertile and do not group themselves as such. Additionally, I identified evidence of biographical disruption including the tension between having and raising children, reassessment of one’s biography and identity, and coping with the disruption of illness and the related inability to have a wanted child.

Advisor: Julia McQuillan

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Jennifer A. AndersenRoscoe Pound and American Sociology: A Study in Archival Frame Analysis, Sociobiography and Sociological Jurisprudencehttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/46
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/46Tue, 24 Jan 2017 10:23:53 PST
Roscoe Pound (1870-1964) was a noted botanist, jurist, and sociologist who founded the American school of sociological jurisprudence. Pound's sociological ideas originated at the University of Nebraska. Pound developed numerous ties to other sociologists, joined the American Sociological Society, and published in the American Journal of Sociology. Pound's modern erasure from sociological chronicles is attributed in part to hegemonic processes. The collection of archival data for this study in the history of sociology is generalized (by extending Erving Goffman's metatheory of meaning) as "archival frame analysis." Pound's intellectual milieu is analyzed using Mary Jo Deegan's theory of "core codes" from her analysis of communitas and alienation in American ritual dramas. Pound was pragmatically committed to social scientific research for improving the "law in action." He directed major surveys of criminal justice systems in Cleveland and China. His Criminal Justice in Cleveland is an exemplar of sociological methodology and theoretical insight. The bureaucratic ecology of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement is examined in a parallel biography of three Nebraska-trained scholars (Roscoe Pound, Edith Abbott, and Hattie Plum Williams) who served the Commission. Pound also explored the institutional patterns of law. Building chronologically-ordered systematic classifications of legal theories, he traced the complexity of conflicting patterns in the social institution of law. These analyses gave him the philosophical basis of sociological jurisprudence. The heart of sociological jurisprudence is Pound's "theory of interests": social control requires informed adjustments between competing social interests. Adjudication of conflicts must not rely on rigid interpretations of precedents, but must take account of social change and relevant social scientific data. Pound's theory is deeply liberal and steeped in the American progressivism of the early twentieth century. Weaknesses in Pound's theory mirror his unreflexive acceptance of the biases of his white, male, professional world. Nonetheless, Pound's sociological critique of law was progressive, insightful, and foundational.
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Michael R. HillExamining the Interplay Between Spousal and Non-Spousal Social Support and Strain on Trajectories of Functional Limitations among Married Older Adultshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/45
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/45Wed, 16 Nov 2016 13:22:12 PST
Marriage is a key social status related to the distribution of later life disablement. One factor within the marital relationship thought to be consequential for disablement is social support from the spouse. Nonetheless, marriage is not inherently supportive and may also be a source of chronic strain. According to the social support/stress model spousal social support is expected to result in better functional health outcomes while spousal strain is hypothesized to produce poorer functional health in later life. Beyond spousal support and strain, marriage is also embedded in a broader web of emotionally close non-spousal ties that are also likely to serve as contexts for meaningful exchanges of support and strain. However, less is known about the importance of the contingencies between spousal and non-spousal support and strain for the disablement process. Using nationally representative data from a sample of older adults from the 2006-2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study this dissertation examines the importance of spousal and non-spousal social support and strain for trajectories of functional limitations among older married men and women. Specifically, I analyzed the independent effects of social support and strain across spousal and non-spousal social domains, the interactive effects of domain-specific social support and strain, and the effects of cross-domain interactions between spousal support/strain and non-spousal support and strain. This research further considered whether the independent and interactive effects of social support and strain vary by gender. The results highlight that spousal and non-spousal support/strain are likely to have consequences for the disablement process, though the effects of social support and strain on functional limitations depend on the relationship domain in question and, in some instances, gender. Moreover, in some cases the effects of social support and strain were counterintuitive given the expectations of the social support/stress model.

Advisor: David F. Warner

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Scott A. AdamsThree Studies Examining the Mechanisms Linking Stress Exposure to Delinquency and Substance Use among North American Indigenous Adolescentshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/44
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/44Mon, 01 Aug 2016 09:25:38 PDTObjective: The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine in three separate studies the mechanisms linking a variety of stressors to delinquency/substance use among North American Indigenous (i.e., American Indian and Canadian First Nations) youth.

Method: Data for the three empirical chapters come from an eight-wave longitudinal study of 676 Indigenous youth and their caretakers from three U.S. reservations and four Canadian First Nations reserves.

Study 1 Results: The objective was to examine the intergenerational transmission of problem behavior from female caretakers to their children via caretaker stress exposure, psychosocial functioning, and parenting practices. Early caretaker adversity and problem behavior undermined caretaker warmth and support through their positive effects on adult financial strain. Early caretaker problem behavior had a direct negative association with warmth and support and was partially mediated by adult problem behavior. As expected, caretaker warmth and support linked these processes with their child’s problem behavior.

Study 2 Results: The objective was to examine the mechanisms linking perceived racial discrimination with aggression. Path analysis results showed that discrimination was indirectly associated with aggression through its negative effect on school bonds and positive effect on delinquent peer associations. The indirect effect for school bonds, however, was stronger when depressive symptoms were high. Delinquent peer associations also amplified the positive effect of perceived discrimination on aggression. Depressive symptoms did not operate as a mediator or moderator.

Study 3 Results: The objective was to examine ecological moderators of the relation between violence exposure and meeting past year criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD). Logistic regression analyses suggested that dating violence victimization amplified the effect caretaker victimization had on SUD risk, whereas family warmth and support buffered this association. Moreover, the effect of community violence exposure on SUD risk was greater for those living in remote communities and high income families. Although delinquent peer associations had a direct effect on SUD risk, it did not moderate any of the violence exposure measures.

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Dane Steven HautalaChanging Public Opinion Towards LGB Rights: An Analysis of Data from the American National Election Studies, 1992-2012https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/43
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/43Wed, 06 Jul 2016 08:45:58 PDT
This study uses data from several waves of the American National Election Studies (ANES, 1992-2012) to examine changing attitudes regarding civil rights for Lesbian Gay Bisexual (LGB) individuals. Analyses focus on differences in attitudes toward gays and lesbians generally, attitudes regarding non-discrimination protections, and views about integration into military service during this time frame. Generally, this thesis builds on previous research in Sociology and Political Science regarding the role of status attainment characteristics, demographic markers, and ideological preferences to explain long-term trends in public opinion. Specifically, this study extends prior research by analyzing how membership in particular occupational groups has shaped respondents’ views of LGB. Findings suggest across all outcome variables examined, white-collar professionals express more positive views towards gays and lesbians than do respondents in unskilled blue-collar and farming occupations, whose negative attitudes are most pronounced regarding inclusion in military service. As expected, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as women, are generally more supportive; married and politically conservative respondents are less supportive; whereas income and education are positively associated with support for LGB rights. These empirical results are discussed in light of central sociological concepts (hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity) and are used to indicate potential directions for future research.

Advisor: Regina Werum

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Jacob Paul AbsalonUnderstanding Transgender Community: Locating Support and Resiliency Using the Minority Stress Modelhttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/42
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/42Fri, 29 Apr 2016 06:45:40 PDT
The minority stress model (Meyer 2003) predicts stigmatized minorities, like transgender persons, suffer worse mental health due to exposure to discrimination. However support from similarly stigmatized others can ameliorate the effect of discrimination stress. Although gender and sexual minorities are often assumed to have access to and support from “the” LGBTQ community or “the” transgender community, many may not understand themselves as members of this community nor feel supported by it. Therefore it is essential to interrogate what community means to LGBTQ persons, particularly to transgender people for whom a paucity of literature exists. Based on in-depth interviews with 10 trans persons living in a midsize town in Florida I found participants understood community as small personal communities defined by connection and care, similar to families of choice (Weston 1991). These personal communities provided frequent, unique and truly multidimensional support enabling the development of resiliency.

Advisor: Emily Kazyak

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Rosalind D. KichlerFear and Loitering in Los Angeles: Contextualizing Fear in the Efficacy Frameworkhttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/41
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/41Tue, 26 Apr 2016 08:35:58 PDT
Using individual-level survey, and neighborhood-level contextual and social observation data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A. FANS), I extend social disorganization theory by examining the role of fear in understanding the link between neighborhood structure, collective efficacy, and crime. Results indicate that the association between social cohesion and informal control is weakened in neighborhoods with high levels of resident fear. Fear is significantly associated with decreased community efficacy, and it both mediates and moderates the effect of neighborhood disadvantage and disorder on efficacy. Further, the utility of collective efficacy to protect against the effects of adverse neighborhood conditions on crime is compromised in fearful communities. When neighborhood fear is considered, neither collective efficacy nor neighborhood concentrated disadvantage are associated with neighborhood robbery victimization. Fear, however, remains one of the primary correlates of neighborhood robbery victimization. These findings suggest that future research should incorporate resident fear in order to better understand the character and context of neighborhood organization. Without considering neighborhood-level fear, research ignores a key mechanism contributing to both community efficacy and the utility of collective efficacy to ameliorate the damaging effects of adverse neighborhood conditions.

Advisor: Tara D. Warner.

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Benjamin J. ForthunOn The Street and On Campus: A Comparison of Life Course Trajectories Among Homeless and College Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Young Adultshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/40
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/40Thu, 14 Apr 2016 14:06:16 PDT
This study examines the life course experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) homeless young adults and LGBTQ college students. Though both of these groups have in common their age (i.e. young adults) and LGBTQ identity, college students generally have more resources and are expected to fare better into later life compared to homeless young adults. Despite these disparities, all LGBTQ young people are likely at greater risk for negative health outcomes and social issues due to their status as sexual and/or gender minorities. Little research, however, has simultaneously examined these two groups, and how their life course experiences uniquely differ based on social environments (i.e. college vs. homeless). Using in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 46 LGBTQ young adults between 19 and 26 years of age, I examine how homeless young people and college students navigate their sexual and gender identities, social contexts and relationships. Findings reveal the importance of social context in identity development, such that college students largely found the college context to be conducive to identity growth, while homeless young adults viewed homelessness as a hindrance to addressing identity-related issues, as they needed to focus on survival. Furthermore, all LGBTQ young adults strategically managed their identities in distinctive ways depending on the social context and relationship, with college students’ tactics being tied to maintaining their reputations, while homeless young adults’ motivations were linked to ensuring their physical safety on the streets. Finally, the majority of LGBTQ young adults conceptualized their identity-related challenges as making them stronger and more resilient by enhancing their social relationships and imbuing them with confidence and empathy. Homeless young adults viewed their challenges in homelessness as more transformative compared to their experiences with sexuality and gender-related prejudice and discrimination. These findings alert service providers and policymakers to the fact that programs need to be tailored to LGBTQ young adults based on their life course experiences. This study also highlights the importance of understanding LGBTQ young adults not as a monolithic social group, but one that is rich with both similarities and distinctions across social context, including the homeless and college environments.

Advisor: Kimberly A. Tyler

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Rachel M. SchmitzNETWORK SUPPORT VARIATION FOR BLACK WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES: A MOBILITY STUDY OF IMMIGRANT AND NON-IMMIGRANT BLACK WOMENhttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/39
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/39Thu, 17 Mar 2016 07:15:36 PDT
Connections between socioeconomic status, social capital, and social support have been quite prominent in sociological research. However, such research still largely ignores the experiences of recently arrived African immigrants, particularly those who arrive as refugees. Black immigrants who arrived in the United States since 1965 have included an increasing number of refugees from war-torn, sub-Saharan African countries, such as the recently independent South Sudan. The numbers of women in these refugee roles has steadily increased since 1990. Black refugee women, many with children, bring diverse forms of social capital that influence their social networks and economic mobility, distinguishing them from native-born black women with multiple generations of family in the U.S. Very little of the qualitative research on this particular “new immigrant” population has been expressly geared toward understanding economic mobility and social network practices. This study addresses the mechanisms of social support and socioeconomic mobility patterns for immigrant and native-born black women in one Midwestern state and one southern state. Using participant observation, informal and semi-formal interviews, and focus groups, this study identifies network support experiences of black women from their different perspectives, as participants explain network differences by their placement in a matrix of intersecting oppressions relating to race, class, immigration status, gender, family status, and geographical location. Findings show differences in emotional and appraisal support by class, ethnicity, and location, as well as differences in network structure for material support by location and ethnicity. Results show how appraisal support serves as a bridge between material and emotional support on one side, and informational support for economic mobility on the other side. Key factors in bridging such support are the management of stigmatic reflected appraisals and the establishment of trust.

Advisor: Helen A. Moore

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Lesa Annette JohnsonFaculty Parental Status: An Investigation of Network Homophily, Marginalization, and Supportive Work-Family Academic Culturehttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/38
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/38Tue, 01 Sep 2015 11:56:22 PDT
Serious incompatibility between work and family life among faculty is well known, and various work-family policies have become available to faculty. Due to the traditional academic work culture (e.g., the ideal worker norms and the individualism norms), however, these policies tend to be underused. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an academic work culture that is more supportive of faculty’s work-family needs. Using data collected on tenure-line faculty at a research-intensive Midwestern university, this dissertation pursues three complementary research objectives that provide new insight into the culture of academic work environments. First, based on social identity theory and homophily theory, I assess the presence of parent homophily within departmental friendship networks and explore if it varies by gender. Second, I investigate whether parents, especially mothers, have smaller friendship networks (i.e., hold marginalized network positions) within academic departments compared to non-parents. Finally, I examine how parent homophily and network size predict perceptions of work-family culture in the department. Results show that parent homophily exists in faculty friendship networks, but there is a gender divide. Mothers tend to have friendship connections with other mothers while fathers tend to be friends with other fathers (the tendency is especially strong among mothers). Parental status and gender are not associated with network marginalization. Among faculty parents, however, larger friendship networks are associated with more positive perceptions of work-family culture. Moreover, greater parent homophily is associated with more negative perceptions of supportive work-family culture only for mothers. The findings of this study imply that encouraging non-work related interactions with colleagues (e.g., discuss personal matters, and share free time) might help foster a more work-family supportive work culture in academia. Care must be taken, however, because parent homophily (being primarily friends with other parents) might negatively affect perceptions of work-family culture for faculty mothers.

Advisor: Christina D. Falci

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Megumi WatanabeCapturing the Gendiverse: A Test of the Gender Self-Perception Scale, with Implications for Survey Data and Labor Market Measureshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/37
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/37Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:05:39 PDT
This dissertation assesses a new measure of gender. In doing so, it addresses a glaring inconsistency between how sociologists conceptualize gender and how we measure it (i.e., with sex categories) in most quantitative sociological literature. Research that only measures sex effectively hides the variability in individual social identities that is related to sociological outcomes of interest. Unfortunately, most existing quantitative gender scales are impractical for use in large scale data collection. In this work, I investigated the Gender Self-perception Scale (GSPS) as an alternative survey measure of gender using three projects. For the first project (chapter 2), I used the GSPS and sex measures to predict warmth and competence across two data sources Strong associations between sex and gender were found for both groups, but less so for competence than warmth, and gender (as measured by the GSPS) was not fully explained by sex. In the second project (chapter 3), I examined how people define gender, gender identity, and masculinity and femininity, and how they think about two versions of the GSPS using cognitive interviews with 13 cisgender and 7 trans respondents. Results indicated similar understandings of gender by gender status, and an overall positive response to the GSPS. The GSPS appears to capture the degree to which the respondent fulfills social stereotypes, indicating that it may be most beneficial for interactional research. In the final project (chapter 4), I examined the relationship between sex, gender, and work-related outcomes within a high gender minority sample of employed respondents. Neither sex nor the GSPS were consistent predictors across the outcomes of interest, which may indicate a reduction in the impact of these characteristics within the workplace, at least for those privileged in terms of education and occupation as this sample was. Overall, these results point to changing gender norms and expectations, and variability in experiences that are lost when we reduce our analyses to only sex. More research is needed using the GSPS, but it is an option for researchers going forward who would like to measure gender in a parsimonious way.

Advisor: Jolene Smyth

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Alian KasabianA Mediational Analysis of the Influence of Negative Coping Behaviors on Health Outcomes Associated with Adolescent School Bullyinghttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/36
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/36Sun, 26 Jul 2015 14:10:32 PDT
Adolescent school bullying is a significant public health issue with approximately 20% of US adolescents reporting victimization or perpetration in schools. Much prior research has established that school bullying is associated with significant somatic and depressive health consequences. Additionally, prior research has examined the beneficial impact of positive coping strategies on negative health outcomes associated with school bullying. However, given that bully-involved adolescents often have less access to positive coping outlets, less research has examined the influence of negative coping behaviors on health outcomes associated with school bullying. Using the Health Behavior of School Aged Children 2005-2006 dataset, I examine the extent that negative coping behaviors mediate the association between bully involvement on somatic and depressive symptoms. Results show that negative coping behaviors mediate the influence of low-level bullying on somatic symptoms and partially mediate the effect of high-level bullying and certain subtypes of bully-victimization on both somatic and depressive symptoms. However, the positive association of bullying on somatic and depressive symptoms largely remains after introducing negative coping behaviors. This study advances current bullying and health research by focusing on the influence of negative coping behaviors on the somatic and depressive health outcomes associated with bullying.

Adviser: Jacob E. Cheadle

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Joseph C. JochmanA Model for Understanding Structure Versus Agency in the Participation of Minors in the Commercial Sex Markethttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/35
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/35Sun, 26 Jul 2015 14:10:31 PDT
In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act defined any sex worker under the age of eighteen as a victim of sex trafficking and exploitation, while requiring evidence of coercion for those eighteen and over for the same charge. This definition makes explicit a common conception concerning CSEC, namely, that their status as participants in the sex economy rests upon a lack of personal and legal agency. Research on female sex workers often focuses on their victimization, such as childhood sexual abuse and neglect. Conversely, research on male sex workers often ignores their possible victimization and instead emphasizes their drug use, sexual orientation, and HIV/AIDS status and/or risk. Where no method for measuring (relative) agency or constraint has been proposed for this population, rigorous means for comparing or evaluating differences between the agency/constraint of male versus female CSEC remains largely speculative. This analysis offers an attempt at measuring (relative) agency and constraint among a sample of underage sex workers in New York City. Findings indicate that underage male and female sex workers experience similar levels of agency and constraint. Instead, other characteristics or circumstances, such as street status and drug use, are better indicators of differences in agency and constraint.

Advisor: Kirk Dombrowski

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Courtney ThrashCONTEXTUALIZING COUPLES: THREE ESSAYS ON INEQUALITY, STRESS, AND DYADIC FUNCTIONING AS A LONGITUDINAL AND RECIPROCAL PROCESShttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/34
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/34Thu, 04 Dec 2014 08:20:29 PST
In this dissertation, I use an integrated theoretical and conceptual model that consists of several theoretical frameworks to examine the following questions: (1) is there a longitudinal and reciprocal association between parental stress/distress and dyadic functioning? (2) does the association change over time? (3) does the association vary across social contexts (e.g., marital status, race/ethnicity, and poverty)? In order to explore these questions, I use longitudinal and dyadic data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, which follows a cohort of children and their parents from birth to five years of age. Through three separate analytic studies, the results indicate that (a) economic hardship affects both mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptoms over time, mothers’ depressive symptoms affect family hardships during the earlier years, and hardship and depressive symptoms are associated with distress in the relationship for both parents by their child’s fifth birthday. No differences emerge between families (married and cohabiting); however, differences between mothers and fathers were revealed in the analysis for relationship distress; (b) parents’ depressive symptoms and cooperative coparenting are longitudinally and reciprocally related. Differences between race and ethnic groups tend be largely contingent upon the developmental age of the child; and (c) the longitudinal and reciprocal association between parental stress and couple’s relationship quality was largely unidirectional and only for mothers—that is, couple’s relationship quality reduced maternal parenting stress. The findings were similar across families who did not live in poverty over time and for families who lived in persistent poverty. For families who experience transient poverty, only paternal parenting stress was associated with lower levels of couple’s relationship quality. All in all, the results demonstrate that individuals within families are interdependent and parents are involved in interlocking trajectories as their child ages and develops over time. The variations across chapters points to the overall complexity of family life. Thus, rather than driving home a consistent message, the results illustrate that different domains, whether dyadic or individual, personal or interpersonal, move according to their own rules. To positively influence family life, multiple pathways must be targeted if we, as a society, are willing to help families achieve adequate financial support and family stability. These findings enhance our understating of interpersonal and contextual stressors, dyadic functioning, reciprocity within couples, and the importance of cross-partner associations.

Adviser: Jacob E. Cheadle

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Deadric T. WilliamsWHAT YOU DON’T KNOW CAN HURT YOU: EARLY LIFE COURSE RACIAL HEALTH DISPARITIES IN UNDIAGNOSED DIABETEShttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/33
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/33Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:10:36 PDT
This dissertation addresses several issues related to racial health disparities in undiagnosed diabetes in American young adults in a three-article format. The first chapter examines rates of diabetes severity across age-matched samples of young adults from two large nationally representative studies. Although the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of nonresponse on prevalence estimates, I find that the prevalence discrepancies have less to do with which respondents are missing blood samples and more to do with the samples coming from initial samples that are not equivalent.

The second chapter uses an adaptation of the Stress Process Model to identify the effects of racial minority status, perceived discrimination, mastery, and risky coping strategies on diabetes severity in a race-stratified young adult sample. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to analyze diabetes risk severity using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Large disparities in diabetes risk severity were found by race, particularly for undiagnosed diabetes. Multivariate results show complex relationships between experiencing discrimination and diabetes risk severity by race, which suggest that discrimination effects diabetes risk severity differently for blacks and whites.

The final study examines the impact of help seeking and diagnosis allocation with diabetes diagnosis disparities. Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (1995) is used to model diabetes diagnostic disparities among young adults with diabetes. Tests of Andersen’s model using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health reveal no difference in help seeking across race/ethnic groups. Although all race/ethnic groups were equally likely to seek care, large diagnostic disparities persist for blacks. As a result, young adult black diabetics are significantly less likely to receive a diagnosis for diabetes even when they sought care in the previous three months.

Taken together, this dissertation reveals that racial health disparities in diabetes diagnoses are complex. Estimates of the prevalence, predictors, and pathways to diagnosis differ by race in meaningful and previously unexplored ways. This research serves to document this problem, provide foundational evidence of meaningful relationships, and shed light on the possible public health and policy implications associated with these disparities.

Adviser: Bridget J. Goosby

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Anna C. BellatorreA Stress Process Model of Arrest among Homeless Women: Exploring Risk and Protective Factorshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/32
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/32Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:51:05 PDTObjective: Women constitute one of the fastest-growing segments of both the homeless and incarcerated populations. In addition, homeless women tend to have higher rates of victimization, mental illness, substance use, and criminal justice system involvement compared to non-homeless women, although this body of research is becoming dated. The current study situates homeless women’s involvement in the criminal justice system within the stress process model and proposes that these factors—childhood abuse, psychiatric disorders, and homelessness—act as stressors that increase their risk of arrest. In addition, social support and self-efficacy are examined as potential protective factors that may act as buffers against arrest. Method: This study utilizes data from 159 homeless women from three U.S. cities: Omaha, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Portland, Oregon. Results: First, rates of childhood abuse and recent arrest were examined: 75% of the women had experienced some physical, verbal, or sexual abuse during childhood and 20% of the women had been arrested in the year prior to the study. Bivariate logistic regression results indicated that childhood sexual abuse was a significant correlate of recent arrests. Next, stressors related to mental illness, substance use, and women’s experiences while homeless were tested as mediators of the focal relationship. Drug dependence disorder and victimization experienced while homeless emerged as significant mediators in the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and arrest. Finally, social support and self-efficacy were explored as moderating resources. These protective factors, however, were unrelated to recent arrest and did not modify the relationship between psychiatric disorders or homelessness stressors and arrest. Conclusions: The current study supports the stress process model as a valid framework for studying risk and protective factors for arrest among homeless women. Stressors experienced early in life, such as childhood sexual abuse, give rise to stressors in other life domains and lead to maladaptive outcomes. Results of the current study provide evidence for the ongoing criminalization of mental illness and homelessness in contemporary society.

Adviser: Les B. Whitbeck

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Kari C. GentzlerIs Gaining, Losing or Keeping a Self-Identified Fertility Problem Associated with Changes in Self-Esteem?https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/31
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/31Tue, 15 Apr 2014 10:40:46 PDT
Because motherhood is an expected and valued identity in the United States, becoming a mother should lead to an increase in self-esteem and perceiving a problem becoming a mother should lead to a decrease in self-esteem. Little research has examined the combined experience of both identifying with a fertility problem and becoming a mother or not over time. Guided by identity theory framework, this study uses two waves of data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB) to examine how change and stability in motherhood status and perceived fertility barrier status is associated with changes in self-esteem among women who initially were not mothers. Results revealed that gaining or losing a fertility problem identity was not associated with changes in self-esteem; however, becoming a mother was associated with increased self-esteem. The persistence of a fertility problem identity was associated with a decrease in self-esteem for those who did not become a mother and increased self-esteem for those who did become a mother. Women who did not report a fertility problem at either interview and became a mother by wave 2 had a significant increase in self-esteem between waves. A small group of women became mothers and identified a fertility problem at wave two; this group had a substantial increase in self-esteem, and the association was larger for older compared to younger women. These findings suggest that becoming a mother has a bigger impact on a woman’s self-esteem than perceiving a fertility problem.

Adviser: Julia McQuillan

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Elizabeth A. RichardsonWitnessing Inter-Parental Violence at Home: Adolescents and School Achievementhttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/30
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/30Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:30:48 PST
Children’s exposure to violence is a serious social problem, but little is known about the educational implications for adolescents witnessing violence between parents. This study uses social learning theory (SLT) to examine the relationship between high school-aged adolescent students who witness parental intimate partner violence (IPV) and academic performance demonstrated by their grade point averages (GPA). A secondary analysis of data collected from the survey of 1,132 adolescent students in a medium sized, suburban/rural city was conducted. Of the respondents, 83% of the students did not witness parental IPV between parents. Students witnessing the most parental IPV had the lowest GPAs. The multiple regression analyses of GPA included measures of substance abuse, truancy, aggression and witnessing parental IPV, with controls for age, gender, race, and family income. Witnessing parental IPV is significantly associated with lower GPA after controlling for age, gender, race and family income. However, IPV becomes non-significant when mediating factors of substance abuse, truancy, aggression and IPV are added.

Advisers: Helen A. Moore and Julia McQuillan

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Renita Dawn Robinson-TyranceMultiple Motherhoods: An Examination of Mother Status on Life Satisfaction and Psychological Distresshttps://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/29
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologydiss/29Fri, 26 Jul 2013 13:25:25 PDT
Motherhood represents a status that has substantial cultural meaning. The ways in which people think about motherhood, however, tend to be limited to biology. Among partnered or married women, this study seeks to compare variations in motherhood by recognizing women as biological mothers, stepmothers, and double mothers. Double mothers are a previously unexamined category of motherhood that refers to women who are both biological and stepmothers. Using the National Survey of Fertility Barriers, I assess potential differences in life satisfaction and psychological distress across these three mother statuses and two types of non-mothers (voluntary childfree and involuntary childless women). Factors that moderate (i.e., importance of motherhood) or mediate (i.e., self-esteem, social support, relationship satisfaction, and job status and satisfaction) well-being across mother status are also explored. Results indicate that biological mothers have significantly higher life satisfaction than all other mother statuses. Additionally, double mothers have significantly more psychological distress compared to biological mothers and both groups of non-mothers. Importance of motherhood, however, significantly moderated well-being across mother statuses. Specifically, life satisfaction does not significantly vary across mother status when importance of motherhood is low, and there are no differences in psychological distress between biological mothers and involuntary childless women when the importance of motherhood is high. Moreover, self-esteem, relationship satisfaction, job satisfaction, and importance of motherhood mediated well-being across mother status. First, differences in life satisfaction between stepmothers and biological mothers are explained by biological mothers’ higher self-esteem and importance of motherhood. Second, differences in life satisfaction between biological mothers and involuntary childless women are explained by biological mothers’ higher self-esteem, job satisfaction, and importance of motherhood. Finally, differences in psychological distress between double mothers and voluntary childfree women are explained by higher relationship satisfaction among voluntary childfree women. These results highlight the importance of taking multiple dimensions of motherhood and non-motherhood into account when examining differences in well-being among women. They speak to broadening cultural definitions of motherhood to be more inclusive of women’s diverse experiences.